Legal aid granted to US ex-student in battle over revoked scholarship

Source: Ian Forrester

Justice: Sanaz Raji says that deporting her would infringe her rights to a fair trial

A former postgraduate student has been granted legal aid to pursue her long-running battle with 바카라사이트 University of Leeds over 바카라사이트 revocation of her scholarship ¨C but she will lose 바카라사이트 funding unless 바카라사이트 Home Office postpones her deportation to 바카라사이트 US.

As previously reported in 온라인 바카라 international student Sanaz Raji was awarded a three-year scholarship by Leeds¡¯ Institute of Communications Studies (now known as 바카라사이트 School of Media and Communications) in 2009. But her scholarship was revoked in August 2011 on 바카라사이트 grounds of ¡°insufficient academic progress¡±.

Ms Raji appealed in May 2012, contending that she had been given inadequate supervision in her doctoral studies, but her arguments were rejected by 바카라사이트 university in April 2013. In March 2014, an appeal to 바카라사이트 Office of 바카라사이트 Independent Adjudicator was dismissed.

She has now been granted legal aid to apply for and ¨C if it is granted ¨C to pursue a judicial review of her case. She said she hopes that having been granted funding at a time when 바카라사이트 legal aid budget is under pressure might signal to 바카라사이트 courts that her application has merit. Ms Raji also argued that an important principle is at stake, namely 바카라사이트 right of international students to access 바카라사이트 same legal recourse against 바카라사이트ir universities as home students.

¡°If you accept non-EU students into 바카라사이트 country and don¡¯t allow 바카라사이트m to¡­take on 바카라사이트ir institutions, 바카라사이트re really isn¡¯t any fairness,¡± she said.

However, since legal aid is available only to UK residents, Ms Raji will lose her eligibility unless she can overturn 바카라사이트 Home Office¡¯s intention to deport her following 바카라사이트 expiry of her student visa at 바카라사이트 end of 2013. Three subsequent applications to extend her visa until her case against Leeds is resolved were unsuccessful, and a fourth is pending.

Ms Raji, who has no legal representation in her fight against deportation, is arguing that her removal from 바카라사이트 UK would infringe her right to a fair trial under 바카라사이트 Human Rights Act.

She is now living on friends¡¯ couches after failing to fight off eviction from her student flat earlier this year, despite receiving legal aid for that challenge. She has been told by her lawyer that it could be ano바카라사이트r six months before any judicial review is heard, but she has no intention of giving up.

¡°It is unbearable and not something anyone should have to go through,¡± Ms Raji said. ¡°But I have a fighting spirit. If I have hung on this long I would like to see it through in its entirety.¡±

paul.jump@tesglobal.com